Are you serious?

He Yiming watched as the Spirit Grass seed trembled. The energy of the Azure Emperor Immortal Body surged through the soil, flooding it with vitality. The once-dormant seed pulsed, its growth accelerating tenfold before his eyes.

A ripple spread through the ground. The surrounding soil darkened, saturated with rich energy, and the air itself seemed to hum with life.

Before, it would have taken a full month for this seed to germinate.

Now? Three days.

Only the Azure Emperor Immortal Body could accomplish something so absurd.

But—

"One hundred acres… One Spirit Grass seed per acre…" He Yiming did a quick calculation, and his expression darkened. "I can't handle all of it alone."

At most, he could ripen a dozen plants at a time. If he relied purely on himself, it would take at least ten days to accelerate all of them.

"I'll try it!"

Beef Noodle stepped forward, eyes gleaming with excitement. He clenched his fists, gathering every ounce of strength he had. His face twisted in effort, veins bulging, until a single, pathetic wisp of cyan light flickered at his fingertips.

The glow wobbled. Struggled. Then, at last, it sank into the soil like a drop of water vanishing into the ocean.

Beef Noodle grinned. "Brother Ming, how much did I speed it up?"

He Yiming glanced at the seed, his expression unreadable.

"…Twenty-nine days and twenty-three hours."

Silence.

Beef Noodle blinked. "…You're telling me it only shortened by one hour?!"

He felt a sharp urge to vomit.

"If any of you can find something special,something containing the essence of heaven and earth,it could greatly speed up germination." He Yiming said with a small smile. Then, without another word, he turned and left.

The players were left standing in stunned silence.

"What now?" Beef Noodle muttered.

"What do you mean, 'what now'?! You think we're just going to sit here for a whole month?!"

"No way."

"Absolutely not."

"Impossible in this lifetime."

They had signed up for an epic cultivation game,so why did this feel like they'd been scammed into playing a farming simulator?

Farm Master rubbed his chin. "Brother Ming mentioned different ways to speed it up. Let's try everything."

And so, chaos began.

"I'll use the blood ritual!"

One player dramatically slashed his wrist, letting a few drops of blood fall onto the seed.

"I got it! Fertilizer!"

Another player ripped up grass and branches, piling them together to burn into compost.

"We need to bless the seeds!"

A group of players formed a sacred dance circle, waving their arms in rhythmic, nonsensical patterns.

One hour passed.

The Spirit Grass seeds did not budge.

"…This isn't working."

Farm Master suddenly straightened, his eyes gleaming with realization.

"Wait. What if we use beast dung?"

The field went silent.

"…You mean actual, real beast dung?"

Farm Master nodded solemnly. "It makes sense. Even in 2032, organic farms still use animal manure. It's rich in nutrients. If Spirit Grass grows naturally, it must absorb similar things."

Beef Noodle's eyes widened.

"I see."

Without another word, he bolted down the mountain.

A moment of stunned silence passed.

"Shit! He's onto something!"

"Out of the way! That pile is mine!"

"Go away! These two lumps belong to me!"

A stampede of players followed, scrambling, shoving, and fighting over piles of monster dung like it was the most precious treasure in the world.

The ones who hadn't moved just stood there in horrified disbelief.

"…Isn't this supposed to be a cultivation game?"

"Why do I feel like we took a wrong turn somewhere?"

"Boss, just grab the shit and stop thinking about it."

"Wait, wait. Are we actually doing this?"

A few players hesitated. But most fully committed.

"I'm out," First Ice Man declared, turning away. "I refuse to waste my time hauling sh*t. I'll go fight monsters instead."

Many followed his lead. Wang Lufei and several others decided to wait and see rather than participate in the madness.

And so, the players split into two factions:

The Warriors, who continued battling beasts.

The Farmers, who stayed behind to… conduct research.

Meanwhile, Beef Noodle returned, dragging an enormous sack behind him.

The other players' eyes locked onto it.

With a satisfied grin, he dumped it onto the ground.

Farm Master stepped forward, grabbed a handful, and carefully sprinkled some around a Spirit Grass seed. The players held their breath.

Moments passed.

Then..

"It's working!!!"

The seed shuddered, its tendrils reaching out, greedily absorbing the nutrients. The growth rate visibly increased.

Farm Master quickly estimated. "At this rate, germination will happen four or five days earlier."

Beef Noodle's excitement froze.

"…Four or five days?"

"Yep."

A long silence.

"THAT'S IT?!"

The excitement immediately vanished.

"You're telling me we did all that,raced down the mountain, fought over dung, hauled back sacks of crap,for four measly days?!"

Farm Master shrugged. "It's still an improvement."

Beef Noodle clenched his fists. His mind raced. There had to be a better way.

And then—

A dangerous idea formed.

"…Let's get more sh*t."

Farm Master's head snapped toward him. "Wait. What?"